A Jefferson County judge will allow the attorney for a family suing a blog site to issue subpoenas to learn the identities of people who posted about a rape investigation involving two high school football players.

The two Steubenville football players are charged with rape after a girl's parents reported a sexual assault to police.

Jefferson County Judge David Henderson ruled Thursday that the attorney for the family suing the blog site can issue the subpoenas.

The judge also said the people whom the attorney is trying to identify have the right to fight the subpoenas.

At issue is the question of whether blogger Alexandria Goddard and members of the online community at the website Prinniefied.com defamed a Steubenville High School athlete and his parents with comments made about the rape allegations against two of the plaintiff's teammates.

The plaintiff was not charged or asked to testify in the rape case; however, he was named regularly in blog postings and related forums about the case.

Last month, the plaintiff and his parents sued Goddard and approximately two dozen "John and Jane Does" who commented on stories about the case using anonymous screen names.

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